Transcript of Book Talk- Wounded By: Eric Walters

Marcus is very confused he is unsure about who he is and what his future is. The book does not tell us if he decides to be a soldier or not. The author wants us to realize that although Marcus is the head man of the family at times he still is a kid. Marcus needs to help his father to help himself ans his family.I would describe Marcus as brave and proud. He is very proud of his father and likes to brag about him a lot. At the end of the book Marcus is very brave and stands up to his father. He realises that just because he isn’t physically wounded that doesn’t mean he isn’t hurt. (Which is why the books name is Wounded) He was born in 1957 in Toronto. He started his career by being a social worker, this only lasted a couple of years.He then started teaching.1993, while teaching a grade 5 class, Eric Walters wrote a novel for his lesson. It was called Stand Your Ground. From then on, Eric Walters started writing books. Eric Walters lives in Mississauga, Ontario with his wife and three children. Awards/Nominations Why he's so Awesome? He won over 27 awards And was nominated for over 26 awards.My book Wounded was nominated for this year’s red maple award. Inspiration? He gets inspiration from situations that happen around the world, or situations that happened to him.For example, he got his inspiration for my book wounded by watching the repatriation ceremony that took place for Canadian fallen soldiers. Theme/Genre Almost all of Eric Walters books are realistic fiction.Realistic Fiction is when the story is fiction, but most or some characters, places and events may be true. For example, We All Fall Down is a book about the 9/11 attack on the world trade centers and a boy whose whole life gets affected by it.

He tries to experience situations in his books himself so he could connect with the readers.For his book Rebound, a novel about a boy that gets into an accident that leaves him in a wheelchair, Eric Walters spent hours in a wheelchair.He believes you should write about what you already know so he researches about his topics. Journey to Success Quotes:"But then I had the strangest thought- did I really want to become a soldier?”

This was a very affective quote because all this time Marcus never even mentioned if he was going to be a soldier, he only talked about his dad and his job. After I read this I really wanted to know if Marcus becomes a soldier, but the book doesn’t give us any hints.

“My father died, so he’s a hero. Your father lived, so he’s a survivor, and because he isn’t missing a leg or an arm, nobody except you and your mother and maybe your sister can even see the wounds.” She paused. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. That doesn’t mean he isn’t wounded.”

I just LOVED this quote! I did because it really shows us the meaning of the book’s title and what soldiers are feeling right now. It tells us that PTSD is a very big issue in the world. Angry Mood swings!... Made me Angry: This book was about war, so there were some parts where Marcus’s father talked about the war and it’s events. In one part of the book he told Marcus how Courtney’s father died. He had to go to another army base to fix their systems when his car runs over a bomb. This was really sad but also made me a little angry because I realised he didn’t have to die. Since this is very possible to happen in real life it also made me sad for the fallen soldiers. 'WOW!' Made me say WOW:“And nobody got hurt?” I asked. He laughed bitterly. “None of us, but there were casualties. Civilians, maybe twenty injured, five or six killed...at least that’s what we figured from the bodies and the body parts.” “Body Parts,” I mumbled. He nodded “Arms, legs, pieces no bigger than my hand. You have no idea how light a kid’s arm is until you’re holding it in your hand.”I read this section twice because I couldn’t believe he said this so casually. I couldn’t believe soldiers experience such horrifying events every day. Made me Reflect:‘ My father gazed all around, looking for me. Our eyes met. I brought my hand up and offered salute. He broke into a wide grin and saluted me back. I walked over then and offered my hand. He reached out and we shook hands, and then suddenly he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me and we hugged. He was finally home. And, despite everything, I started to cry.’

This made me sad but also made me reflect. It made me think about all the families who support troops and have to deal with their sons, daughter, mothers or fathers being away for a long time. They all have doubts If their loved ones will come home or not. Hmm... Quotes! Plot Marcus is the head man of the family when his father gets shipped to Kandahar for the war. His family and him have been counting the days till his father gets home. When his father does get home they are all excited. Marcus is very happy until he notices his father acts very strangely. His ‘girlfriend’ suggests he should tell his dad to see a counsellor but, Marcus doesn’t listen. Marcus thinks his dad is still adjusting back to his old life.When his dad drives him and Courtney (the girlfriend) to school, a truck runs the stop sign. Marcus’s father races after the truck and threatens them. Marcus now starts to realize something’s wrong.One day when Marcus wakes up he notices his mother has a bruise on her cheek. It turns out his father accidently hit her when he was asleep. When Marcus suggests seeing the counsellor his father gets really mad and his hands turn to fists.Courtney tells Marcus that it’s a case of PTSD, Post-traumatic stress disorder. It happens after soldiers see horrible things at war. They get really distressed and confused. Marcus is unsure of what to do. Marcus agrees to see counselling. When he comes home from the dance, his father is hysteric and wants to take a drive even though he’s very drunk. Marcus grabs the keys and his father and him have a huge fight. His dad then decides to walk to the lieutenant’s house instead to get deployed earlier than usual. Marcus finally persuades his father to get help. Theme I think the theme of this book was to never lose hope. Like, Marcus never lost hope for his father. Throughout the whole book Courtney helps Marcus even though she has her own problems. The author wanted to send us a message that we should care and have hope for everyone. Also, issues like PTSD are important because it will effect families. Conflict Marcus’ dad is having a hard time adapting back to his normal life. He acts very violent, and strange. Marcus’ girlfriend suggests seeing a councillor, but Marcus’ dad won’t listen. PTSD Underlying Issues Marcus’ girlfriend’s father is killed and Marcus struggles to help her. His father is restless and alcoholic. Marcus refuses to go see a councillor. When he finally gives in his dad gets worse. Resolution Conclusion CONCLUSION Overall Wounded was an amazing book! I loved it so much. The people who knew I was reading this book know that I’ve read it twice. I really showed us a different perspective of army lives. Before I read Wounded I didn’t know what PTSD was. I thought that supporting our troops in wars was important but, after reading this book I’ve learnt that bringing them back home is important too! I really recommend this book to people who like reading realistic fiction! Bibliography